


switched

by RangerDew



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: F/M, Timeline Shenanigans, also most of this is just me hardcore projecting onto zarc, this is SO straight like. ive never written anything this straight before its Insane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 13:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16556957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerDew/pseuds/RangerDew
Summary: Ray laughs. She laughs and laughs and laughs, and by the end of it, she yells, “Of course, of course of course of course! What took you so long!”Zarc’s certain he’s never felt happier in his life. Ray loved him back, and now he was going to spend the rest of his life waking up to this. Radiant, radiant Ray, smiling at him every morning.He brings her into a kiss, and she laughs and reciprocated.Then, without warning, his world suddenly turns black.[In which Zarc from a better, more peaceful timeline swaps places with canon Zarc.]





	switched

Zarc had brought Ray to the place they hung out the most - his bathroom. It wasn’t that he didn’t love her enough to bring her to a beautiful mountaintop or Broadway or something; it was more because that bathroom was the place he felt most at home in. One of the only places he really felt at home, actually.

It was a small bathroom. The bigger bathroom was occupied by Yuya and his brothers, and this was the one his parents had “given” to him when he had turned fourteen. Since his brothers dominated most of the house, this bathroom had essentially become his room the minute it was given to him. It had a lock, a cupboard, and a soft carpet. All you needed for a room, right? Zarc could actually remember certain bad nights where he had slept in this bathroom.

When Ray finally asked him out (he would have never been brave enough to assume that Ray liked him back, and by the time he finally worked up the courage to hint at it, Ray had already decided he would be her date to the dance), this was the location of their first date. After the dance was over, he’d asked her to drive them back to his house, where he showed her his little haven.

Ever since, they had spent most of their time their. Now, Zarc happened to be… poetic. He spotted the patterns and cliches in life. As much as he tried to avoid it, he had always viewed life as one big story, with one big cheesy, predictable plot mapped out by destiny.

So what better way to fulfill a satisfying arc by proposing to Ray in the location of their first date?

He fumbled nervously with the ring in the pocket of his trousers. Ray… could say no. Ray might decide that she wasn’t ready to spend her life with a guy who spent most of his time away at tournaments. Ray might decide that his personality just had something missing to it.

Ray might decide that she couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with Zarc.

Oh, there were so many ways this could go wrong! And he didn’t even follow all his rituals this morning…

Zarc hit himself and mentally told his OCD to shut up before taking a deep breath. Okay, Ray was going to be here any minute now. His girlfriend, hopefully soon-to-be fiance, and then wife, would be here soon. He should really calm down.

He was purposely wearing an outfit that Ray had dubbed “ugly” and “unacceptable”. The thought of Ray, exasperated at his fashion choices and dubbing him the “ugly rat bastard” made him smile - how could it not? - and he felt warm and giddy inside for a good millisecond before remembering that Ray would be here any minute and oh god she could reject him. 

The doorbell rang. His blood went cold. He wasn’t emotionally prepared yet. Oh, shut up! He was never going to be emotionally prepared if he kept stalling! In fact, this was probably be the most emotionally prepared he could be! He just had to get it over with and propose to the love of his life!

Zarc sprinted downstairs, not wanting to keep Ray waiting, and flung the door open. “Ray!”

Ray was wearing the “I want to seem cool but you’re so silly that I can’t help but smile in your presence” look. “Your look is gross.”

Zarc burst into laughter. All his stress and nervousness had converted itself to a sort of hyperactive giddy energy. “Thank you, I do try.”

Ray let Zarc lead her to their bathroom - at this point, they were so used to doing that that no words were needed. It was like birds on a migration; they didn’t even need to be told to do it, it was just that natural to them.

After Zarc shut the bathroom door behind them, his heart was pounding so hard he could feel it thumping against his ribcage. His veins felt like they’d just been iced. He took an extremely long, deep breath and hoped Ray didn’t notice that he had literally just been standing there for ten seconds straight now and oh no she had heard him take the breath oh shit.

Zarc whirled himself around. “Ray,” he began.

Ray rested her head on her hand. “Yes, go on?” she said. Zarc could tell by her voice that she probably knew exactly what was about to go down. 

Zarc took another deep breath. “Ray.”

Ray looked at him expectantly.

He mentally kicked himself. Come on, don’t be nervous, just start. He hadn’t actually prepped a speech because he always did better while improvising, and because he thought it would be more romantic if unprepared, but he was beginning to regret that decision.

Zarc breathed in.

“Ray, you are the light of my life. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else other than you. In my dreams of the future, you’re always by my side. You’re my best friend, and you make me laugh, and you make me happy to get up every morning, will you marry-”

Ray kicked him hard in the shin.

Zarc let out a cry of pain, and the kick caused him to double over in a kneeling position. 

“God, Ray, what was that for?” he joked, trying to get over the fact that a kick in the shin definitely meant Ray hated him and was rejecting him.

“Just propose already, you dork!” He looked up, and Ray was wearing one of the most radiant smiles he had ever seen. Zarc’s heart welled up. He frantically fishes the ring box out of his pocket, and opens it to reveal a simple little gold ring.

Ray laughs. She laughs and laughs and laughs, and by the end of it, she yells, “Of course, of course of course of course! What took you so long!”

Zarc’s certain he’s never felt happier in his life. Ray loved him back, and now he was going to spend the rest of his life waking up to this. Radiant, radiant Ray, smiling at him every morning.

He brings her into a kiss, and she laughs and reciprocated.

Then, without warning, his world suddenly turns black. 

\--

Zarc’s vision comes to view again. His head feels like it’s just been cracked open. He looks up. Across from him is Akaba Reiji, with all his ace monsters out. He looks back down at his hands. 

He tenses up.

Those aren’t his hands.

They’re a sort of neutral beige color, and they’re clawed - not human. There’s a duel disk seated on his left arm slightly resembling the one he owns. He is so, so confused.

He expects everything to come crashing back to him in a couple seconds, per most story cliches, but nothing happens. He remembers nothing.

Wait.

He just proposed to Ray.

They were kissing.

Where is he?

“Scared, Zarc?” He flings his head up again as response to Reiji’s taunt. Reiji is standing a respectable distance away from him, and he looks significantly more… angry. More hateful than Reiji should ever look, despite his tendencies to hold grudges.

When Zarc still doesn’t answer, Reiji makes a little noise of disapproval. “Hm. Not so brave now that you’re cornered, huh.”

Zarc has never been more confused in his life. He looks up, behind Reiji, and sees Reiji’s dad. Leo Akaba. His soon-to-be father-in-law, looking at him like he wishes Zarc would be drowned and then brought back to life and electrocuted and trampled to death.

Yikes.

Reiji pushes his glasses up. “Battle.” 

Wait, what? Reiji’s monsters attack his in a flash. He doesn’t even know what monsters he has on the field. Or what he’s doing here.

It takes him another second to realize that his entire lower body is connected to a massive, glowing green dragon.

Despite how much he doesn't want to fight this battle, he realizes that a little part of him desperately doesn't want to lose. His brain whirs to life, and he begins planning his next moves.

**Author's Note:**

> talk to me on tumlrbrgr i have like 2 mutuals who like yugioh im @rangerdew
> 
> this entire story is going to be me looking at zarc and going "ok. how do i make him more like me." 
> 
> thinking of possibly making this lesbian bc straight romance is WEIRD
> 
> i suck (tm) at writing have fun reading this. also warning i probably definitely will not finish this story and if i do it'll be after like 90 hiatuses because i'm draw and i can't write :pensive:


End file.
